Panic
by Danae3
Summary: When Shikamaru is unknowingly poisoned and somewhere in the village, will he be found in time to save him?
1. Chapter 1

If the sun had been visible when the walls of Konoha became visible to Shikamaru and his team, it would have just been dipping below the horizon at the end of its travel across the sky, but as it was, the sky was dark, filled with heavy clouds that dropped buckets on the young chunin team as they made their way closer to the gate.

The young genius didn't complain as rain flowed down his hair and face, pounding at his shoulders on what was the most miserable night to travel. He didn't feel it would have been fair, considering both Ino and Chouji were in the exactly same water-logged boat that he was. Taking refuge under the canopy of the guard post, he turned to his two friends, saw Ino's red nose Chouji's over-bright eyes, and knew that they were seeing the same on him and that all three of them would be looking at a nasty cold for the next few days.

"Ino, Chouji, go home and get warm and dry. I'll check in with the hokage."

"Shi-." Ino's face screwed up midword, then her eyes closed as she let out a thunderous sneeze. A second followed in its wake. Both Chouji and Genma, who had been on watch, pulled out a handkerchief for her. She took the guard's, which was blessedly dry. "We can check in with you."

"Keh, you're barely on your feet and Chouji looks like a zombie. Go home. I'll check in and let her know you aren't up for any more missions for a while." He coughed into his hand, feeling more miserable with every second.

"You don't look so hot yourself, Shikamaru-san," Genma said, motioning for Ino to keep his now soaked handkerchief.

Shikamaru glared at him, but at the other man's smile, knew his glare probably took on the look of a petulant child.

Damn the rainy season.

"Believe me, I'm planning on going right to bed too," he said, turning back to his teammates, "but there's no point in having all of us go to the tower to make a report one of us can make. Go home. I'll check up with you tomorrow."

"You're sure?" Chouji asked, his voice sounding even deeper with his stuffed nose.

"Yeah." He rubbed at the water running down his neck from his hair and glanced out at the rain falling around them. "You both live near here, but I have to go by the tower anyway to get home. No point in you guys having to come back this way."

Chouji shared a glance with Ino and knew they would put up no more of a fight.

"Okay," he answered. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Shikamaru waved at both of them as they stepped again into the rain, then sighed.

"You know, Shikamaru, you're really growing up," Genma said, leaning his elbows onto the counter and moving his senbon from one side of his mouth to the other. "I don't hear you call everything 'troublesome' as much as I used to."

"What a pain," Shikamaru sighed in answer, rolling his eyes as he turned back toward the rain. He missed the smile on the guard's face as he coughed into his hand once more and took off toward the tower. He was exhausted, but he wasn't going to stay out in this weather any longer than he had to. His sprint brought him to the tower in just a few minutes, though he was sure it didn't save him from the rain at all. His vest was completely soaked through as he made his way up the stairs, and stepping into the corridor, a large puddle dripped onto the floor under his feet.

He took a moment to squeeze the water out of his ponytail, not to improve his appearance, but to try and stop the steady flow down his neck. Then, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled toward the Hokage's office.

Genma was right. He had quit calling everything troublesome. It was a conscious choice he had made after Asuma's death that he would be more responsible and protect the village and its people. It was a decision he had spoken aloud only to Kurenai, as he had promised to protect her unborn child- Asuma's child. Somehow, taking the easy route to retirement had become childish in his mind in the wake of his sensei's death.

"Shikamaru!" He stopped, not realizing he was just a few feet from Shizune's desk. "Your team is late."

He sneezed in answer, wincing at the pressure building around his eyes and nose.

"And you look horrible."

"It's raining," he said simply.

She murmured something he didn't quite catch but that sounded suspiciously like a scold, then sat some forms and a pen down on a side table.

"Tsunade-sama's in a meeting," she said, motioning him toward the forms. "If you fill out your report, you won't have to wait for her to finish." When he sighed, she added, "She's meeting with the council."

Meaning: she could be in there all night and unavailable for a debriefing. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he could be at home, dry, and under a few dozen blankets. He pulled out the chair and took up the pen, his mind already creating the report before his hand started moving across the paper.

After a few minutes, a cup of tea was placed next to his left hand.

"To warm you up," Shizune said when he looked up. "And head off that nasty cold you've got going there."

Shikamaru nodded his thanks and picked up the cup, but as he drank, he realized he couldn't taste it at all, but that its warmth flowed from his mouth to his throat and stomach, and slowly worked its way out from there.

The fingers of his left hand still wrapped around the cup for its little warmth, Shikamaru signed the bottom of the document and handed it over. Then he drank down the last of the tea and leaned his head back a little, eyes closed. The room tilted a little as he did so, and he groaned. The next few days were going to be hell for him, but at least it meant many long, motionless hours in his bed.

"Go home, Shikamaru," Shizune said, laying a hand on his forehead. "I'm sure your mom will have some hot broth waiting for you."

"Thanks for the tea," he said, standing up slowly, giving his head a chance to adjust to the change in altitude, then headed for the door in what he hoped was a straight line. "Hey, Shizune-."

"I will inform the Tsunade that your team needs some time to rest up. Just go home."

He nodded again and headed out, while at her desk, Shizune set the small tea pot on a tray with a new cup for Tsunade. While she knew Tsunade would prefer saki rather than tea right now, with the council laid out before her desk, something calming would be best.

With a groan, Shikamaru stared up at the dark sky. The rain had lessened in the time he had filled out his paper work, but now it was a dreary drizzle, as though the very oxygen had turned to liquid form and filled the air rather than falling from the sky. Though Shizune's tea had warmed him up a little, it wasn't enough to carry him all the way home. In fact, it was just enough to remind him just how miserable he was.

Troublesome.

He glanced down the road, which most sane people had abandoned, though a few umbrellas could be seen bobbing down the walk. It would take him nearly twenty minutes if he stayed on the street, but only ten if he took the high road. As an unspoken rule, using the rooftops for your own personal highway was frowned upon by the residents. Shinobi who were on duty or emergency personal used them as due course, but for the rest of them, homes and shops were to be treated with respect. Nobody wanted to close their shade for bed only to find a group of jounin having a heated discussion outside their third story bedroom window. Sure, there were a few so highly respected by the community that they could get away with it if they wanted, but for the most part ninja acted like normal people (at least, normal for people who had been trained to fight since they could walk).

Well, tonight he was going to be an exception. He was too damn tired. Another sneeze increased the pressure around his eyes and nose, and his groan was more of a whine as he attempted to breathe in through his nose. Useless. More determined to get home quickly, he stepped out from under the protection of the entrance. Channeling the needed chakra was second nature, needing no real conscious thought as he leapt to the nearest rooftop.

He was surprised, however, when his landing slipping, causing him to slide down a few tiles before catching himself- something he hadn't done since he was a genin. He chalked it up to his increased headache and resulting dizziness of his cold, and silently vowed not to rise from his bed for at least a week. Then, his face set in resigned determination, he sped along the roofline, aware of the presence of other shinobi patrolling the area but making no greeting, until he leapt to the next rooftop.

"By allowing him to travel freely through the countryside, you are placing all of us in grave danger, Tsunade."

Tsunade leaned forward, clasping her hands before her face. This meeting had gone on far too long for her tastes, and though her answers never changed, the accusations that Naruto was endangering the village continued.

"Uzumaki Naruto is a shinobi of this village, and as such will fulfill the duties for which he has been trained. Your concerns have been noted, and the appropriate protection has been placed around him – at your request." She ignored Shizune, who had placed a cup near her elbow and was filling it with hot tea. "He is in no more danger in the field where pursuers would have to search for him, than he would be if he remained in the village." She picked up the cup, holding it in her left hand as she stared Koharu in the eye. "And if he is attacked on a mission, he is surrounded by two teams of jounin and chunin level rather than civilians."

"Your assumptions are-!"

"Shizune!" A dark look crossed Koharu's face at being cut off so rudely, but Tsunade ignored her, instead, turning her attention to her assistant. Her cup of tea was directly under her nose, as though she had frozen in the act of drinking. "Did you prepare this?"

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Shizune answered, a bit bewildered. Of course she had made it. She _always_ made it. Why would a council meeting need to be interrupted with a question like that?

"Have you drank any?"

"No."

"Bring me the tea leaves you used."

Shizune glanced between Tsunade and the council members, then disappeared to retrieve the bag.

"Hokage-sama-" Homura began, but Tsunade silenced him with a raised hand, sniffed at her tea, then peered into it as though trying to see her fortune in the bottom.

Shizune reappeared and placed the bag in Tsunade's waiting hand.

"Where did you get this mix?" she asked as she opened the bag and sniffed at the contents.

"It was delivered by the tea shop." Shizine watched as Tsunade pressed her finger to several of the dried leaves, lifted them from the bag, and sniffed them cautiously.

"Have the owner of the shop brought here for questioning."

"Questioning? Why?"

"_Conium maculatum_," she answered, motioning to the bag. "The scent wasn't strong, but I caught it when it was right under my nose. This tea contains poison."

The room fell silent in shock at this pronouncement.

"Shikamaru- his cold-." The hokage looked up at Shizune's halted words and saw that all the color had drained from her face. "He was soaked when he came in to make his report. Tsunade, I gave him the tea!"

"How much?" Tsunade demanded, clearly alarmed.

"A whole cup! He was sick! He couldn't smell it!"

"How long ago?" Tsunade rose from her chair, grabbing her coat and swinging it over her shoulders.

"Just a few minutes. He was heading home."

"Send out a search team to help find him. Check his teammates' and his own house. And get that shop owner here!"

"Tsunade-hime, where are you-?"

"Nara Shikamaru has been poisoned, and he doesn't know it," she answered tartly, opening the door. "This meeting is over for now." She swept out the door, Shizune following her to send out a search team.

Shikamaru leapt toward another branch, relying on the trees surrounding his clan's lands to protect him from the still falling rain. His hand shook as he wiped at his face, and his spinning head warned him that traveling so far above the ground was not good in his condition.

How the hell had he gotten so bad so quickly?

His landing was messy, getting worse with each leap, causing him to get only one foot on the branch before gravity took over. Instinct shot his hand out to grab the branch, but he dangled for a moment before his brain spun in his skull. The last thought to enter his head was _troublesome_ before fell, blacking out before his body even hit the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

With a sigh, Ino leaned into the pillows on her bed. Her mother had met her coming through the door and held out a cup of hot tea to warm her up. Now, forty-five minutes later, she was encased in warm pajamas with a towel twisted around her hair and a second cup of tea clutched in her fingers as her mom wrapped a blanket around her. As a shinobi, she should have been able to take care of herself, but with the way she felt, she was going to argue if her mom wanted to baby her. Even with her dad leaning against the door frame, smirking at her little indulgence, she didn't feel the least bit guilty.

A knock at the door drew Inochi away, and with his disappearance, Ino drew her mom closer.

"Hey, Mom." She frowned, wincing at the pain in her throat and rubbing a hand over it. "Can I have something to eat?"

"Of course, honey. I'll make you some soup." As she moved to the door, Inoichi reappeared.

"Ino, come out to the living room."

"She should stay in bed," his wife began to protest, but she was cut off.

"There is a guard at the door. If she does not come speak with him, he will come here. Ino understands this."

Of course she did. She was already on her feet and across the room when her father explained this. Nothing short of near-death was reason not to answer a summons, and if you were conscious, near-death was not an excuse. She tugged her robe around her shoulders as she slid out the door.

"Ino-chan." Kamizuki Izumo stood in the living room, his face completely blank of emotion. "When is the last time you saw Nara Shikamaru?"

"What? Did he skip out on the paper work?" She asked with a faint smile, but Izumo was unamused.

"Please answer the question."

"When we checked in at the gate. We were all sick, so he sent Chouji and me home. Said he'd report in himself."

"Have you seen him since then?"

"No. What's wrong?"

"Did he say where he was going afterwards?"

"Yeah, _home_." She pulled her robe more tightly around herself. "Is he missing? What happened?" It was at that moment that her father brushed by her, dressed in his full jounin uniform and pulling a raincoat over his head. "Dad? What's happening?"

"Shikamaru is missing," he explained calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He checked in at the Tower, but never made it home. Choza and I are going to help look for him."

"Wait! Let me change-."

"No, Ino. Go to bed. I will let you know when we find him." He kissed her on the forehead and disappeared into the pouring rain with Izumo.

* * *

Hagane Kotetsu knocked on the door of Nara Shikaku, and after just a few seconds was looking into the face of Yoshino. She is a petite woman whom Kotestsu remembered as having a strong personality when she was still an active kunoichi. The look on her face was an annoyed one, which quickly faded into worry.

When a guard comes to the door in the middle of the night, it can mean only two things. Either someone is being summoned on an important and deadly mission, or someone is in the hospital or dead. While the life was nothing new to her, her heart was naturally faster when one of her men was out on a mission. Either they were sending Shikaku out, or something bad happened to Shikamaru.

"Yoshino-san, is Shikamaru here?"

"Shikamaru? He hasn't returned from his mission yet."

"Is your husband here?"

Shikaku appeared beside her instantly.

"Kotetsu? What is it?" His voice was serious. He too sensed that something was wrong.

"Shikamaru checked in at the Hokage's tower nearly an hour ago, but we have been unable to locate him since."

"That's not unusual. Have you checked with his team?"

"Hai," he answered, motioning toward the wireless transmitter in his ear. "Neither Yamanaka Ino nor Akimichi Chouji have seen him since they separated at the gate." Kotetsu locked eyes with the older jounin, hardened by his years in the field. "It's believed he may have been poisoned, but is unaware." He touched a finger to the device in his ear, listening for a moment. "Choza-san and Inoichi-san have already joined the search, as have all available shinobi who were in the tower."

Shikaku's jaw clenched, then flicked his hand out, grabbing the rain coat hanging near the door.

"Shika-" Yoshi's eyes shone with tears, but she was a former kunoichi. She understood rule number twenty-four as well as any. She made to follow, but was stopped by her husband's outstretched hand.

"Stay here, Yoshi. If he makes it home, contact the hospital." He left without looking back, pulling the door firmly closed behind him, completely aware, that Yoshina would probably not move until she had some news. While she was as intimidating as any men in the village, when it came to the men in her life, she was a woman through and through.

"Where is the search focused?" Shikaku asked, his voice even, as though the search was for a complete stranger rather than his son.

"Team Gai and Team Ryu are searching the village. Your team and members of the Inuzuka clan will begin searching the forest around your clan's home, but Tsume-san wants your permission before releasing her hounds on your land.

Shikaku nodded.

Tsume-san-." His hand came to his throat, touching lightly to the voice transmitter. "Begin the search. We'll move from the house fanning out-."

Shikaku waited, staring off into the dense forest that surrounded his clan's lands. He had no doubt his son was there, somewhere. If his team had indeed traveled in this weather, there was no doubt he would have head back home directly after checking in. Shikamaru was not the type to allow himself to be uncomfortable for too long if he didn't have to be. No, he would have taken the most direct path. His eyes swept back and forth, a mental picture of the village forming in his head with all possible paths back to the house laid out.

Which would Shikamaru have taken?

The most direct. The longer routes were dismissed out of mind, their lines fading as though erased.

Over the rooftops. More lines were erased. Only a few remained.

In the seconds it had taken him to lay out the search quadrant in his head, he was already moving, speeding through the trees with the ease of one who knows the layout of each root, each branch.

"Kotetsu, have Tsume concentrate her search on the eastern border near the Tanaki building. The trees may have prevented some of his scent from being washed away by the rain." As he spoke, two shadows dropped down on either side of him, matching his pace out of long habit.

"Shikaku, you look like you have a plan."

"He'd be moving along this route," he told them in answer. "Inoichi, you and Choza fan out from here. Kotetsu, you go a little farther north. Tsume and Hana-chan should be moving back toward us along this line."

"Are you sure about this?" Inoichi looked out at the unbroken forest around them. "You're concentrating our entire search along one small area. We could miss him." The look on his face was one of worry. He and Choza had known Shikamaru since he was born. Their children had grown up together. If they lost Shikaku's boy-.

A hand on his shoulder silenced his thoughts, bringing his attention to Choza, who shook his head, then back to Shikaku's face. A flicker of indecision, something that hadn't touched his eyes in years, had crossed his scarred visage, before he closed his eyes and reopened them again.

"I know my son," was all he said, before leaping into a tree to begin his search. The others followed him, fanning out in the directions he had ordered.

* * *

The steady drops of rain pounding on his face brought Shikamaru back to consciousness, though when he opened his eyes, the world was spinning and tipping like child's top at the end of its revolution. His stomach lurched, rebelling against him, and he turned over just in time for his mission rations to reintroduce themselves to the world. Gasping for breath, he raised a shaky hand to wipe his mouth, and only then realized he was covered in mud.

'_I need to get home,'_ he thought, but it took far too long to work himself up to his knees. His legs were tingly, as though he'd been sitting on them, but when he'd wakened, he was stretched out on the ground. It was then that he realized something was _really_ wrong, something beyond a mere cold. His mind was racing, but all the thoughts were fuzzy, as though he was watching them race by through a heavy fog.

A dog barked off in a distance, and an image popped into his head, but Shikamaru couldn't place a name with it. He shook his head, sending it spinning once more. He wasn't used to his mind not working for him. It was- terrifying.

Digging his fingers into the trunk of the tree he had fallen out of, he pulled himself to his feet.

He had to get home.

His legs were numb, but the barking was getting closer. The image of the boy with the large white dog came to mind again, this time with Shino and, wait, he knew this one- white eyes- Hinata. Kiba. He knew the name now. Kiba.

Dizziness.

He staggered, grabbing to another tree for balance, but his legs betrayed him, dropping him at the roots, where he gagged and heaved, emptying the last of his stomach contents.

Spots danced before his eyes.

The bushes to his right shook, and a large wolf leapt out, landing deftly before him before stepping forward and sniffing at his clothes.

Shikamaru coughed, and the wolf stepped back, giving him his first look at the narrow muzzle and patch-covered eye.

"You the Nara kid?"

Shikamaru blinked blearily. He'd only met one other dog that talked to him, and this was definitely not a pug.

Unfortunately, the words to answer him did not come. Breathing was getting too hard for him to handle with speech. He nodded.

A howl went up, breaking the steadily pit-pat of the rain. Shikamaru continued to watch the wolf until his eyes dropped. The wolf closed his jaws on his sleeve, pulling him sideways so he nearly fell over, but at his glare, the wolf said only two words.

"Stay awake."

* * *

Kotetsu paused in his search at the ringing howl echoing in the forest. A second later, a voice was in his ear, and he leapt to his right until he was within shouting distance to Shikaku.

"Kuromaru found him!"

Shikaku froze, straining his ears until the howl went up again. Then, without a word, he changed direction and headed for his son, the rest of his team following after.

* * *

Inuzuka Hana reached them first, breaking through the underbrush with her own gray Haimaru at her side.

"He's slipping in and out of consciousness," Kuromaru told her as she knelt beside the boy, slipping her fingers to his neck to check his pulse.

"His heartbeat is slowing," she murmured, then tipped his head up and opened his eyes. His pupils were dilating. Slipping her backpack off, she pulled a blanket from its contents and slipped it around his shoulders, then began gathering him into her arms. As she did so, she noticed the mess on his other side.

"Is that from him?" she asked the wolf, but received a disdainful huff in reply.

"Do you think it's from me?"

"Shikamaru?"

More figures landed in the area, among them Shikaku, who stepped forward touched his son's face. Shikamaru opened his eyes and stared hazily up before squinting painfully.

"Dad?"

Hana relinquished her hold on the boy to his father, who turned without a word and sped off toward the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this or Long Road Home. I've just been really busy with work.

* * *

Shikaku flew through the trees, his son in his arms gazing blearily forward, mumbling softly to himself. The rest of his team was several meters behind him, but he did not dare slow for them.

"Dad-." The boy began gagging and gasping for air. Shikaku dropped quickly to the ground, lowering Shikamaru so he was kneeling, supporting him across his shoulders as he shook and vomited blood and vile. Shikaku's scarred face was calm despite the pain and fear he knew his son felt. It would not do to panic. "What's wrong with me?" the boy gasped between gags.

"You've been poisoned."

"I've already radioed ahead." Kotetsu landed beside him, one hand pressed against his ear piece. "Tsunade-sama's on her way to our location."

A nod was the only sign Shikaku heard. He was focused instead on the tears gathering in his son's eyes, threatening to fall as he failed to draw deep breath.

"Don't-." The shinobi in him wanted to tell him not to cry, but instead, he whispered, "Don't worry. I have you."

A strangled sob escaped the boy. Shikaku tightened his grip, raising his left hand to rub soothing circles on his back as he had done when Shikamaru was a boy and awoke from the nightmares of his sleep.

The boy in his arms suddenly stiffened with a sharp gasp, but it did not pass as the others had. Instead, the muscles in his body relaxed, then contracted again and again, until Shikamaru was convulsing in his arms.

"Shikamaru!" he yelled, lowering his son to the ground.

"Move away from him!" A hand gripped Shikaku's shoulder, pulling him away, and he fought against the inhuman strength, only to realize Tsunade's grip would not be broken. "There's no way to stop it once it's begun. It'll pass."

He could only watch helplessly as a medic moved to support his son's head as the rest of his body convulsed violently. His teeth were clenched shut and his eyes rolled back in his head, and Shikaku could do nothing. He saw nothing except his son, did not feel the hand of his best friend as Inoichi gripped his other shoulder, as though to stop him from leaping forward.

After several minutes, Shikamaru's body began to relax, and Tsunade released her grip to step forward and kneel beside the chunin. Shikaku took this to mean it was safe to approach, and he knelt near his son's head, waiting patiently as those brown eyes identical to his own rolled about in their skull, not focusing on anything.

"How close- how close?" the boy murmered.

"You're going to be okay, son," Shikaku soothed, laying his hand on his son's forehead.

"Me-meeting poi- the bridge-." His eyes continued to roll, eyelids dropping. "As-Asuma- bridge- meeting- meeting point."

"He's delirious," Tsunade said, answering Shikaku's unvoiced question. Her hands were on his Shikamaru's chest, drawing out the poison and dropping it into the soil while an assistant readied a syringe of goldish liquid. "Keep him awake, Shikaku. He's had this poison in him too long. Keep him awake."

The rambling continued, becoming incoherent and breathless. Shikaku continued whispering to his son, though he doubted very much the boy was even hearing him.

Finally, Tsunade leaned back and nodded to the medic with the syringe, who pulled one of Shikamaru's arms onto his lap and pushed the sleeve up, revealing his white forearm. Shikaku could not tear his eyes away as the tip of the needle slid slowly into his son's arm, and had he looked up at those around him, he would have seen the eyes of the others watching carefully, barely breathing at all. The plunger was pulled, sucking blood in to mix with the gold liquid before being depressed, forcing the mixture into Shikamaru's vein.

Shikaku tore his eyes away, staring down at his son's face, hoping to suddenly see coherence there, but there was none. Instead, those intense brown eyes were clouded, eyelids drooped- no, closed.

"Shikamaru?" He stooped over his son, laying his hands on the boy's cheeks. "Shikamaru, wake up." No response. "Open your eyes. Shikamaru! Open your eyes, son!"

Shikaku saw nothing, heard nothing around him but his son. Even when his teammates grabbed his arms, pulling him away to give Tsunade and the medics room to work, he fought against them.

Even when chakra-lit hands fell on Shikamaru's chest and head, he fought. While orders were barked and chest compressions begun, he shoved against the restraining arms, deaf to their words of peace and calm. Senseless of Inoichi's now bleeding nose or the tears streaming down his own face, still he tried to reach his son.

And when his son's body was scooped up into a medic's arms and swept off toward the hospital, the strength left his body and he found himself leaning on his arms, breathing heavily as all fight left his body.

"Choza, fetch Yoshino Nara and escort her to the hospital. Inoichi, inform Shikamaru's team that he is found. I know they must be worried."

"Tsunade-sama-."

"He'll be fine, Inoichi. I'll take care of him."

"Of course." A hand fell on Shikaku's shoulder, but he didn't look up. "Shika, we'll see you there."

Shikaku nodded; at least, he thought he did. He tried. And then Inoichi's hand was gone and Tsunade was stooped before him.

"Nara Shikaku." He looked up just in time to see the fist before it slammed into his jaw, sending him sprawling into the mud.

Pain exploded through his head, and suddenly Tsunade was staring down at him.

"Have you come to your senses yet?"

He tasted blood and raised a hand to wipe it from his mouth.

"I've done what I can for Shikamaru, Shikaku. He may wake up; he may not, but it's out of my hands." The jounin flinched at the words, but made no movement to rise from the mud. "Regardless, he needs you at his side, as does your wife. You cannot afford to break down now."

Shikaku's eyes shifted to her face, and he wondered what he must have yelled in those lost minutes that Shikamaru had- when he thought- and he couldn't remember it. He couldn't remember anything but his son lying so still in the mud.

"Is your head on straight yet? Or do I have to hit you again?"

His vision suddenly focused.

"No, I'm fine."

"No, you're not," she countered, "but at least you're in control again." She stretched out her hand and he took it, allowing her to pull him unsteadily to his feet. "Go home and clean yourself up before you go to the hospital."

"I can't."

"You can. Shikamaru has to be stabilized before anyone's allowed in his room, and I won't allow you in when you're covered in mud. It's unsanitary. Besides, a shower might do you some good."

* * *

It was not without thought that Tsunade sent Choza and Inoichi on their separate missions. Gentle but powerful Choza was sent to the Nara home to calm Yoshino and bring her to her family. He found her sitting on the front step, her hands twisted in her apron, her eyes staring intently at the forest edge.

"Choza!" She rose to her feet and was in the rain, sprinting toward him before he had even emerged from the trees. "Did they find Shikamaru? How is he? Where's Shikaku?"

"Yoshino, let's go inside for a few moments." He attempted to take her arm, but she pulled from his grip.

"No, Choza Akimichi. Where is my son? What happened?"

Of course, Yoshino Nara would not have the patience to return to the house for an explanation. He had known her too long to expect anything other than a demand for an instant explanation, despite wind or rain or mud soaking through her slippers.

"Hana Inuzaka found him half a kilometer into the forest. He was already greatly affected by the poison."

"No!" Her delicate hand, once calloused from kunai and training, covered her mouth. Tears danced in her eyes, as though they themselves were terrified to fall.

"He's alive. Tsunade-sama removed the poison."

"But? What aren't you telling me?"

"Yoshino-."

"Don't lie to me, Choza! You've never been a good liar! Tell me what happened!"

"He had some kind of fit. His heart stopped for a moment. Tsunade-sama and the medic-nins saved him," he added hurriedly, seeing the color drain from her face. "I've been asked to bring you to the hospital."

The order was not even fully formed yet, and Yoshino was already ahead of him, leaping far out ahead, using speed she had not used in nearly a decade, to reach her son's side.

* * *

Inoichi went to his own home first, and found that it had been a wise decision. Chouji, after his father had left, and despite being told to stay put, had made his way to the Yamanaka home, and was currently bundled in a thick blanket on the couch, with Ino seated beside him. The jounin wasn't surprised. Since Choza's wife had died nearly seven years ago, Kaya had practically adopted the boy, and in his youth, wasn't strange for the boy to spend time here while his father was away on missions.

Both teenagers were silent, staring at some fixed point in the room, but seemingly looking at nothing. It wouldn't do to cause them more worry. He would simply tell them Shikamaru had been found and that he was in Tsunade-sama's care. No need to tell them anything else, or they would race off to the hospital to stay at his side.

"Inoichi?" She saw him watching the two silent chunin, and explained softly. "Ino called him after you left. They've been sitting there since."

Inoichi nodded, understanding. They were worried. It was only natural when a teammate- a friend- was in such danger.

"Did you find him?" his wife asked.

"Dad?" Ino and Chouji were standing, their eyes focused on him. Inoichi swallowed. He had been trained to withstand torture under the most extreme circumstances, but when his daughter looked at him like that, so scared, her eyes pleading, he knew his resolve was weakened.

"We found him," he told them, hoping his voice didn't sound as frail as it did in his own ears. "He is under Tsunade-sama's care."

Ino let out an audible breath, and Chouji closed his eyes.

"I am going to assist Shikaku in any way I can," he told his wife, then turned to the young man standing with his daughter. "Chouji, your father is with Yoshino. Stay here tonight."

"Yamanaka-san, I couldn't-."

"You will. I'll tell your father where you are."

He kissed his wife and swept his daughter into his arms in a tight hug. He was out the door before Ino actually asked the question on her mind.

"What isn't he telling us?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for the time delay on this. I've been really busy and have had little time to write. Unfortunately, my next few weeks are busy, so it may be a bit before I get another chapter out. But then again, you never know how time can rearrange itself for a muse!

The house was empty when Shikaku returned. Choza and Yoshi must have left quickly to make it to the hospital. Part of Shikaku wished Yoshi was still here so he could hold her in his arms- tell her everything was okay. Maybe the words on his lips, even if he found it difficult to believe himself, would make him feel better.

He slipped his vest off, allowing it to slide from his fingers to the floor, senseless of the mud now splattered on the hard wood.

But part of him- just a small part- was glad she was not here. He would not want her to see him as he leaned against the wall, staring up at the ceiling as visions of his son as little more than a toddler struggling to climb up on his parents' high bed, danced in his mind. He saw Shikamaru, not yet old enough to attend the academy, leaning on his arm at the breakfast table, blowing his hair out of his face, too lazy at such an early hour to have tied it up. He remembered finding his son stretched out in the southern pasture, his arms crooked under his head staring at the clouds when he was supposed to be tending to the deer.

Shikaku Nara, one-third of one of the most powerful jounin teams in Konoha, the man whose scarred face appeared in half the bingo books of the shinobi countries, slid down the wall of his bedroom, his hands covering his face, and cried.

* * *

Tsunade leaned over the comatose chunin and laid the palm of her hand against his forehead. The heat of his fever was palpable even before she touched his flesh, the heat of his body fighting against the damage already done by the poisons and illness. Gently, she raised each of his eye lids and examined his pupils, mere pinpricks in the brown of his eyes. There was no sign of recovery, no movement of recognition. Shikamaru Nara was simply not there.

Already, the I.V.s had been inserted into his arm. A clear plastic tube passed through his slack mouth, down his larynx and into his trachea, forcing the body to continue breathing, despite the paralysis of the poison that had already taken hold. A nurse would stay in his room around the clock in case of respiratory failure. Tsunade had not wanted to perform the tracheal intubation. She told herself that she did not want to allow him the opportunity to slack off and allow the machines to keep him alive. Telling herself that it was a choice of his, showing off his lazy habits, made it a little easier, though she knew better. Without that tube, Shikamaru could not breathe, no matter what he might want if he were even conscious.

"Tsunade-sama?"

"What is it Shizune?" Both their voices were whispers, though they knew there was no chance of waking the patient merely from talking out loud.

"Chado-san is in your office."

"Who?"

"The owner of the tea shop."

"I'll be right there." Shizune hesitated at the door before her chakra signature drifted away through the door and down the corridor. Tsunade would have to talk to her, make sure she understood this was not her fault. Shizune had said she knew the first time Tsunade had said it to her, but she could tell the poor jounin still blamed herself for not noticing the poison and giving the tea to Shikamaru.

She laid her hand over his, silently telling him that she would find out who had done this. Then, with a single glance at the attending nurse, turned and strode from the room, fully intending to get to the bottom of this tonight.

* * *

"What time is it?" Chouji asked, leaning his back against Ino's bed from his place on the floor.

"Twenty-thirty-seven," Ino answered from her perch near her pillows.

"How long until your mom goes to bed?"

"Normally, an hour and a half." She shook her head, even though Chouji was not facing her. "But tonight, who knows? She'll probably wait for my dad, which could be much later."

"Ino-."

"I know, Chouji. You feel bad. You don't want to get in trouble. I know, but I also know they're keeping something from us. I know you noticed it too."

"Yeah."

"And could you even sleep without knowing if Shikamaru's okay?"

"No."

"Neither could I. Besides, you know he'd do the same for one of us."

Chouji didn't answer. There was no need. Shikamaru would do the same, sneaking out at any hour to check up on one of his friends at the hospital. Especially if he had a suspicion that all was not okay.

Ino shifted on the bed above him and a magazine flew past his head onto the floor a few feet from him. She was feeling just as restless as he was. How could she not? They'd grown up together, the three of them, practically raised as siblings. They'd spent every day together since they were genin.

And now, when Shikamaru was hospitalized and possibly badly injured, _now_ they were kept apart?

"It's because we're so young," Ino said, sharing aloud the thoughts which were just forming in Chouji's mind. "We're old enough for missions and to fight in battles, but they think they still need to protect us from something."

No need to ask who _they_ were.

"It's so not-!" Her rant was interrupted by a violent pair of sneezes, followed by a murmured "Sumimasen," and the sound of tissues being torn from the box on her nightstand.

"They're our parents," Chouji pointed out, even as a balled up tissue was dropped into the already overflowing trash can at his side. "They can't help but feel protective."

"Don't side with them, Chouji."

"I'm not. I just think that if we weren't sick-."

The sentence went unfinished. They both understood the reasons they were told to stay home. The filled trash can and constant symphony of coughs and sneezes were more than enough proof of that, but they still couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Chouji leaned his head back against the mattress again.

"What time is it?"

* * *

Chado Ryukucha was seated in the middle of Tsunade's office when she entered, looking highly uncomfortable to be sitting between two ANBU guards so late in the evening. Though she knew her presence had been noticed by the elite guards even before she entered the room, Tsunade took a moment to examine the man sitting between them before drawing attention to herself from the civilian.

She knew this man, she realized as she stared at the back of his slightly balding pate and caught the line of his jaw as he glanced nervously from guard to guard. She hadn't recognized his name, but seeing him now, Chado Ryukucha was friendly man who always smiled and had a kind word for those around him.

"Chado Ryukucha." Her voice came out hard as her mind reeled back to the young chunin who lay completely motionless in his hospital bed.

The man, hearing her voice, shot up from his seat and spun toward her, bowing clumsily toward her.

"Hokage-sama." He straightened slowly, a look of confusion and no small amount of fear as he glanced again at his guards crossed his face. "You summoned me?"

"I did." She crossed the room toward her desk and withdrew the bag of tea from the right hand drawer. "This tea came from your shop today," she told him, holding it out for him to take.

Curious, the man stepped forward and took the bag from her hand, then leaned his face toward the bag to inhale the scent.

"Don't," Tsunade told him. If this man had placed the poison in the bag, he would have known better than to inhale the contents while the poison was still dry. "Don't inhale it."

"Why-?"

"Look at the leaves," she told him, ignoring his question. "Is that your mix?"

Ryukucha looked carefully into the sack, frowned, and moved closer to a light to examine the leaves better.

"The bag is one I use, but the contents are not. This is bancha, but this is not the right season for these leaves. I would have sent kabusecha to your tower. The taste is more delicate." He peered deeper into the bag, examining the contents more closely. "There is something else in here I do not recognize. Another leaf, but not one I use."

"It is _conium maculatum_," Tsunade told him. He looked at her, as though waiting for an explanation of the name, but she did not oblige him. "Who was sent to deliver the tea today?"

"My nephew, Taishi," he replied. "He does all of my deliveries."

"Do you know where he is now?"

"At home, I assume." At a glance from Tsunade, one of the ANBU nodded and disappeared. "What is this about?"

"_Conium maculatum_ is a poison which causes paralysis and eventual death. It was mixed into that tea you are holding and which was delivered from your shop."

"Impossible!"

"I'm sure Shikamaru Nara would disagree with you."

"Nara?" Recognition lit his eyes. "Shikaku-san's boy?"

"The same. He drank the tea, and now we are struggling to keep him alive."

"Kami," Chado sighed, sinking into his chair. "Who- who would do this?"

"That's why you're here."

* * *

"I don't care about visiting hours!" Smack! "I want to see my son!"

Recognizing the rising tone of that voice and knowing to whom it belonged, Shizune slapped her clipboard into the chest of the intern next to her and moved swiftly down the corridor toward the waiting room. There, she found an unsurprising scene.

Yoshino Nara was leaning over the desk, dripping water over the various papers and clipboards found there, staring the head nurse directly in the eye. Her right hand, the hand that had slapped the desktop, was still flat on the wood, but her other was tightly fisted, ready to attack the woman who explained in a voice used to dealing with angry shinobi, why she could not visit a patient's room, though her eyes included both Yoshino and Choza, who stood a few feet behind with two chunin who were on security detail that night. The poor chunin had probably been called to escort Yoshino out, but found themselves facing a highly experienced, active duty jounin and were pinned to the floor by a fierce look from the gentle Akimichi.

"Yoshino-san." The woman barely moved, instead, continuing her intimidation of the nurse.

"I am _not_ leaving."

"Yoshino-san, I will take you to Shikamaru."

The woman turned without a word, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and came closer to the young medic.

"Shizune-san, how is he? Choza said his heart stopped."

"He's not well," she answered truthfully. It would do no good to mince words at this point. As she began walking down the corridor, Yoshino fell into step beside her, with Choza a respectful distance behind. "But he is alive. The poison he ingested caused muscular paralysis, eventually affecting his internal organs. Tsunade and our medical staff were able to stabilize him long enough to ventilate him, but we have no way of knowing how severe the damage may be until the poison wears off."

"Damage?" Yoshino stopped walking. "What sort of damage?"

"Yoshino-san, clinically, Shikamaru died and was resuscitated before we could ventilate him. Right now, he is in a coma. If he wakes up-."

"_If?"_

"If he wakes up," she continued more gently, "he may not be the same as he was before. He may suffer memory loss, personality change, partial paralysis. He may have difficulty performing simple tasks. We simply do not know."

"How long?"

"It will be at least seventy-two hours before the poison runs its course. Then, we will have a better idea of his status."

Yoshino looked shaken by this news, and for a moment, Shizune thought she might collapse. Choza, too, moved forward, ready to steady the woman should she need it, but it was unnecessary. Yoshino Nara took a deep breath and clenched her fists as she looked into Shizune's eyes.

"I want to see my son."

Shizune nodded and led the way to the door of Shikamaru's room.

"If you need anything, please, do not hesitate."

Yoshino did not answer. She entered the room, closing the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry this chapter is so short. Work has kept me pretty busy.

* * *

Yoshino was with Shikamaru when Shikaku found her. He stood in the doorway of the room, watching her as she gently held her son's hand in hers and stroked his hair with the other, as though he were a small child being soothed to sleep. This was the gentleness in her he had fallen in love with. The gentleness Shikamaru had not believed existed, but even now, could not experience.

"Shikaku." Her voice floated from over her shoulder, though she made no movement herself. "Why don't you come in?"

And he did, hands stuffed into his pockets, staring at his wife's shoulders with an intensity rarely seen in his eyes. But as he neared enough to see his boy on the bed, he stopped. His feet could not carry him closer than this- closer than an armspan from his wife and son.

Was it anger? Grief? Guilt that stopped his progress? What was it that impeded his progress and left him standing behind like a rookie schoolboy reporting for punishment?

"Shizune-san said it could be days before we know anything." Her voice was hushed, but strong.

"I'm sorry, Yoshi."

"For what?" she asked, still not turning away from the boy. "We all knew the risks when we became shinobi. We knew what could happen if Shikamaru went to the academy. It is the price of peace."

Listening to his wife, he realized she was not as strong as her tone or words. Yoshino was so close to breaking, she was trying to convince herself this was inevitable to fend off the pain.

It hurt Shikaku to see her like this.

"Perhaps this is not the way things should be," he told her back. "Why should peace be built on the backs of our children?"

"But it is the way things are," she answered. "No battle can be fought without a casualty. It is the way with war."

The breaking of her voice, the lowering of her head compelled Shikaku forward and wound his arms around this woman who was always so strong. He held her, and still gripping her son's hand, she raised her other to the arms that held her.

"We are not at war, Yoshino.," he told her softly, whispering into her hair. "And he will not be a casualty. It's not how things must be."

"We are," came the broken sob as her strength finally gave out. Shikaku caught her weight and slowly lowered her to the floor, where she buried her face in her hands. "We must be at war. Why else would they do this? Why else would they take our son? He's just a boy, Shikaku. He's just a boy."

"He's not. He hasn't been for three years now, so have faith in him. Have faith, Yoshi."

"I know," she murmered, lifting her head to wipe at her tears. "I know. I just- I'm scared, Shikaku. I'm really scared."

The arms tightened, but Shikaku Nara said nothing more. No more comforting words found their way to his tongue.

Because he was too.

* * *

Tsunade sat at her desk, hands clasped before her jaw, staring fixedly at Taishi Ryukucha. She had expected someone older, someone she could rail at and maybe knock around the office a little until he spilled the plan that was slowly killing Shikamaru. Instead, she merely watched him as the ten year old boy sat in his stiff backed chair, his eyes wide, as he stared back at the formidable koniuchi. No ANBU stood over him as they had with Chado. The boy was completely alone with the Hokage.

"You are Taishi Ryukucha?" The question was snapped off like shot.

"Hai," he answered in a small voice.

"You deliver tea for your uncle's shop?"

"Hai."

"And you deliver tea here to the tower?"

He hesitated.

"H-hai."

One perfected manicured eyebrow rose slightly on the Sannin's face.

"Have you made _every_ delivery here?"

Now the boy squirmed under her questioning which had been simple so far. Quietly, she thanked the gods that his boy had been sent to her rather than an adult. Perhaps it does make life easier for her.

"I-Hokage-sama, please don't tell Oji-san."

"Tell him what?"

" Oji-san, he- okaa-san is sick and oji-san helps us to pay for her medicine, but-." His bottom lip trembled a little and he looked hard down at his clenched hands.

"But what?"

"I just- a man offered to make my delivery for me. He- he offered money. Please don't tell oji-san! I don't want him to be angry with me!"

Tsunade threw herself ungracefully back in her chair, annoyance in her features. The boy cowered in his chair, but she ignored him. She had hoped to find an end here, but it seemed there was more to this mystery.

"Usagi. Kuma." Instantly, two masked members of ANBU were in front of her, bowed and ready for orders. Tsunade couldn't help but feel a little better when the boy paled and began to shake. "Taishi, who gave you money to deliver the tea?"

"I- I don't know!"

"Describe him."

"He- he had dark hair and gray eyes."

"How old? As old as your uncle?"

"No, he was younger. Like Iruka-sensei at the academy. Do you know-?"

"I know him," she said with a dismissive gesture. "How tall?"

"Um- I don't-."

"Stand up," she ordered, addressing the two who had appeared but had remained silent. They did so and she motioned toward them. "Was he close to one of them?"

The boy nodded and pointed at Usagi, the smaller of the two.

"Where did he find you?"

"I-in the market. Near Ichiraku. Am I in trouble?"

Tsunade ignored him and instead addressed her soldiers.

"Find this man. Bring him to me. Tonight." The masks nodded and were off so quickly, it appeared to the boy they had vanished into the air. The blond sannin turned her attention back to the back, who stared in disbelief at where the men had been. In silence, she observed him, considering her next words. "Taishi, what you did was in innocence, and chance to earn some extra money for your family-." She leaned forward again, clasping her hands once more. "But you shirked the duty given to you by your employer, and because of that a very talented young man may not recover."

If possible the boy lost even more color, looking green now and slightly sick.

"Why?"

"The tea that was delivered was not from your uncle's shop. I contained a poison and was mistakenly given to one of our shinobi."

"What- what happened to him?"

"Right now, we're trying to keep him alive. And hoping the damage will not be permanent."

Tears welled up in the boys eyes, and when he looked up at the Hokage, she could see true regret in his expression.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I'm sorry. I didn't mean-."

"Apologies will do nothing. All you can do is resolve never to ignore your duties or push them off on someone else."

"I- I will! I promise!"

"Good. Now go home, brat. I have other things to deal with."

The boy nearly fell sliding off his chair and ran for the exit. Even as the door closed behind him, Tsunade swiveled in her chair to look out the window. Evening had taken hold of the sky, and the village was calming into its sleep. It was a peaceful night, now that the rains had stopped, but no peace was to be found for her. Her mind reeled between the boy and Shikamaru, and she wondered if either of them would find peace as well.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry, sorry, sorry! It's been a while, but I have not given up on this story. I've just been really busy. I am still writing it!

Ino and Chouji remained perfectly still as the footsteps made their way down the hallway, pausing outside her door, then continuing on to her parents' bedroom. It felt like hours had passed waiting for her mother to go to bed, but with her father still not home, she had finally gone to bed.

That Dad hadn't yet returned bothered Ino. What had happened? Was Shikamaru in such danger that Inoichi felt it was necessary to stay by Shikaku-san's side? Were they going to the hospital only to join in a death watch?

Shaking her head slightly to clear the thought away, she rose from the bed and began preparing to leave, avoiding Chouji's eyes as he did the same. She knew he was thinking the same things, and somehow, seeing the confirming look in him would be too much.

"Ready?"

She nodded and opened the window.

* * *

Sakura yawned under her umbrella as she made her way to the hospital for the midnight shift. She only pulled this duty one week out of six, but that never made it any easier. Without the adrenaline that comes with a mission, it was hard for her to stay awake once the moon was high. So she forced herself to move and would pick up a cup of coffee before beginning her shift.

But glancing up at the building, she noticed something unusual. Two figures were walking on the wall, looking into the windows as though trying to find someone. She watched them for a moment, then dropped the umbrella and, applying chakra to her own feet, sprinted toward the wall and up it, her powerful fist ready to strike if the figures posed a threat to herself or anyone else.

Before she ever reached them, however, they were stopped by ANBU. Although his weapons were not out, Sakura knew he would be no less threatening.

Then, the voice of argument reached her.

"We're just trying to find our teammate!"

The shrill, argumentative tones of that voice were familiar to Sakura, and the long blonde hair only confirmed it for her.

"Ino?"

Wide-eyed, Ino turned from where she was arguing with the mask.

"Sakura?" Her eyes lit up. "Sakura, tell him we're not doing anything wrong!"

"You're trying to sneak into a guarded room in the middle of the night," Sakura commented. "That's not 'not doing anything.'" She looked curiously at Ino's now angry visage, then at Chouji's more disappointed one. "Where's Shikamaru?" The lazy genius was usually the one who stopped Ino's harebrained schemes.

"Sakura," Chouji spoke up, his voice unusually soft, "something happened to Shikamaru after we returned from our mission. He is in this room, but they won't let us in to see him."

"Sakura-san, this case is currently under investigation," the ANBU spoke up, reminding Sakura of his presence as he rose to his full height. "We are under strict orders from the Hokage that none are to enter the room without her prior approval." His attention shifted to the two who had been lurking outside the window. "The two of you, in particular, were mentioned by your fathers."

"But we're his teammates!" Ino screeched. "Don't tell me we're under investigation too!"

Sakura looked back and forth between her friends and the ANBU, the little information she had received twirling in her brain, trying to fit together into a logical answer. She wasn't quite at Shikamaru's level, but she was certainly not an idiot.

"Ino, Chouji," she started, attempting to keep her voice both consoling and stern, a skill she had had to learn as Tsunade-sama's apprentice. "If Shikamaru is being kept here on the third floor, it means his condition is not stable. And though we're standing here in the rain, both of your faces are pink. You're both sick- probably just minor colds, but if that is introduced into Shikamaru's room in his condition, it would only hurt him more." Her statements were just a guess at best, considering she knew nothing of Shikamaru's current condition beyond that he was in a guarded room on the third floor, but from the way they both shifted their positions and glanced at each other, she assumed she had been correct.

"Sakura-."

"I'm sorry, Chouji," she answered, cutting off his plea. "Go home. Get some rest."

Chouji's fist clenched and Ino glared daggers at her. Both had probably thought they had found an ally when she had appeared, but she had sided with the ANBU, and for that she felt sorry for her friends. She understood their feelings- she really did. If it was Naruto or Kakashi-sensei, or even Sai, Sakura knew she too would do all she could to see them, but this was impossible.

* * *

After collecting her umbrella, Sakura hurried inside with renewed vigor, desperate to find out what she could about her friend's condition. Tsunade was nowhere to be found, though the night shift seemed to be in a lather over the presence of ANBU around Shikamaru's room. Both Ino's and Chouji's fathers were sitting in the hallway outside the room, with Shikaku-san looking haggard and speaking quietly to them. All the faces looked grave.

Sakura did not enter his room. It would have been too much like impugning a family's need for privacy simply for her own curiosity, for she had been around Ino's father enough in the years before her falling-out with her best friend, to understand the closeness between the three families.

Instead, she went in search of Shizune to learn the truth of the investigation and the strong ANBU presence. As a medically trained shinobi, Sakura was able to separate her emotional self from her clinical one, and she did quite well, she thought, until she learned the state of progression the poison had been allowed to reach in Shikamaru. She knew poisons. She knew their stages. And she knew the damage left behind by them.

If Shikamaru had reached this state, how bad would the damage be?

* * *

It was morning before Kuma checked in. He appeared suddenly and silently in front of Tsunade, contrary to what many believed he was capable, carrying his large muscular body with all the grace of a dancer.

"Hokage-sama, the village has been searched with no sign of the assassin. Teams Ushi, Ryo, and Uma are searching the surrounding forests. Teams Tora and Raion are checking neighboring villages, to be joined by the other teams."

"Thank you, Kuma. Keep me updated." She tuned her attention back to the morning reports, but realized Kuma stood up, but not left.

"Hokage-sama, with respect."

"What is it?"

"While it is regrettable that the attack has endangered Nara-san, he was not the original target."

"I am aware of that."

"Your personal guards have been sent to seek out the murderer."

_Attempted murderer_, she corrected in her mind. _He's not dead yet._

"And?"

"If another attempt were made, you have no guard. I request that you pull back at least one team."

Tsunade sat down the report and folded her hands, carefully focusing on the masked figure standing before her. His stared unblinkingly back.

"Kuma-taichou, with the suspect on the run and the awareness of all our forces raised, I find it unlikely a second attack will follow."

"Unlikely, but not impossible."

"There are a few jounin teams in the village."

"Jounin are not ANBU." Tsunade leaned back in her chair. Kuma was always soft-spoken, and she didn't believe she had ever heard him speak so many words that were not directly related to the mission at hand. Obviously, something was bothering the young captain.

"What's on your mind, Kuma?"

His head lowered a fraction, though whether it was from shame or embarrassment, she was unsure.

"You are our Hokage. If something should happen to you- I do not pretend to understand the politics of everything that happens with the council, but I know I like this village at peace. I wish it to stay so."

"I understand, Kuma-taichou." Kuma, Tsunade had heard, was engaged to be married. She had no doubt this recent event had pushed his need to protect his Hokage. "Teams Kakashi and Yamato will be returning shortly. Both Jounin are former ANBU. They will provide additional protection as needed."

"Hai." His head had come up a fraction, as though surprised by her choice. "The presence of Ookami sets my mind at ease." He bowed and disappeared from the room.

Ookami.

Nearly seven years out of the Black Ops, and Kakashi was still a legend among them. Ookami, Wolf, was spoken with both awe and fear, and Tsunade couldn't help but wonder what the kid had been like in those years she had been running away to inspire such respect from the most elite of Konoha shinobi.


End file.
